The HotelPriceBot Blog
The Gatwick VAT refund
Every time I pass through London or the UK, I try and pick up some high ticket items like iPhones or a laptop. One of the big advantages is getting the tax back, which is now 20% in the UK.
Assuming you have received the piece of paper from the store when you bought the item, the next step ... read more...
Written : 2014-11-04
Hotels In the airport
A few weeks ago I had one of those horrible 6am flights out of London Heathrow airport. Not much could be worse really ! A flight at this time entails waking at 3am or so and then spending 50 pounds on catching a taxi to the airport, such fun !
But there can be a better way… I thought if ... read more...
Written : 2014-11-04
Flying with a pet to the UK
The UK, Many great attributes, but also a land of bureaucracy and hypocrisy. Nowhere more so than when trying to take your trusty cat or dog into the UK.
Most airlines in the world allow you to take little pets up to 5 or 8 kg onto the plane as your hand luggage. Of course they charge grate ... read more...
Written : 2014-10-27
The Tallest Tower and Falling Over
A well observed criticism of the world’s tallest buildings points out that as soon as they are erected, the economy in that country falls fast. This is put down to the fact that super tall buildings make no financial sense, the higher they go they more they cost to maintain and least useful to the ... read more...
Written : 2014-07-08
Best Cabin Luggage Bag, reprise
In an earlier post on packing, I mentioned I had bought the Red Oxx bag for my travels. Here we are 18 months later and let me share a few opinions I have garnered.
Firstly, I can use this bag for any length trip. I did 3 weeks in autumnal St Petersb ... read more...
Written : 2013-12-15
Tax Back at Luton Airport
Small airports sometimes have big advantages. At the major UK airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, if you want to claim the sales tax (VAT) back from a purchase you need to show the item and passport to a customs officer. But smaller airports don’t have full time staff on hand. Luton airport is a c ... read more...
Written : 2013-08-14
(Republic of) Georgia - Car Rentals
Recently upon booking a car from one of the leading car hire firms (starting with H) in Batumi in Georgia I discovered things are not the same even with big companies when it comes to the CIS. Having a confirmed booking does not actually mean having any booking. Having open on Sunday may or may not ... read more...
Written : 2013-07-13
The Hire Car Conundrum
How convenient it is to hire a car in the city centre and then to return it at the airport on the way out ! But this does not conform to the hire car companies wants and needs. If you fly into a big city, often you want to spend a couple of days sightseeing where a car is no advantage, and then hir ... read more...
Written : 2013-04-03
The Laundry all Over the World
Every country has its own way of doing the laundry, which is something travellers must think about when they are away for over a week. It has to be said that most hotels charge exorbitant fees to do the washing so alternatives must be found. If you are using a ... read more...
Written : 2012-03-18
Getting in to a Boca Juniors Game
In Buenos Aires there are two main football teams, River Plate and Boca Juniors. Unfortuantely in 2011 River Plate were relegated to the second division depriving us of the main event in the Argentinian football league, the superclassico between these two sides.
Often listed as one of those ... read more...
Written : 2012-03-16
Happy Hour Buenos Aires Steak Dinner
Last night I finally made my way to La Cabrera restaurant in Viejo Palermo. Regarded as one of the top beef restaurants in Buenos Aires it must be worth a visit. The main advantage of La Cabrera though is every weekday evening between the hours of 7pm and 8pm they have half price happy hour, half pr ... read more...
Written : 2012-01-27
Packing for flying
Flying in the last couple of years has becoming steadily more limiting in terms of luggage. Once, a suitcase was free up to 32kg, then it became 23kg and now sometimes I see 20kg, and as for free... well, those days have long past. Once I had hard-case Samsonite suitcases, but these days their empty ... read more...
Written : 2011-05-16
The Best Ice Cream in Buenos Aires
Gelato, Helado or ice cream. All delicious and Buenos Aires is full of ice cream parlours. But which is the tastiest ??
After much tasting at many places I think I can now give the definitive answer.There are a couple of chains of ice cream shops, like Freddo and Volta which are fine but no ... read more...
Written : 2011-03-09
Vienna Airport Layover
If you ever find yourself with 3 or 4 hours to kill at Vienna Airport (Wien Flughafen) then instead of using their free wi-fi and overpriced coffee, why not head into the city centre ? Since the new direct airport train opened it became a breeze to try out the famous coffee houses of Vienna with the ... read more...
Written : 2009-10-14
Shanghai Maglev
Transfers from the airport to downtown are not usually a fun experience. There is the inevitable feeling of paying more than you should unless you are a regular there. But as far as overpaying goes, the Shanghai Pudong airport Maglev train is well worth the extra for the experience. For about $8 e ... read more...
Written : 2009-10-12
W Hong Kong Rooftop Swimming Pool
In the never ending search for passing our time, spending our money, we seem to have an unerring need for the tallest/highest/biggest of everything to garner attention. Normally this means Dubai. But for once the far east fights back with a swimming pool right on the top of one of those sky scraping ... read more...
Written : 2009-10-09
Top 5 London Attractions
There are about 25 million people who visit London each year. If you are one of them and you want to explore the British capital but are limited on time than our list of the top 5 London attractions is just for you!
1. Greenwich
The United Kingdom is famous for its beautiful par ... read more...
Written : 2009-06-16
The truth about the English weather
When travellers go to visit the United Kingdom they always think of the infamous “English” rainy weather and prepare their umbrellas expecting the worst. The bad weather is the most common cliché about Great Britain. The United Kingdom is situated on an island and the ocean here has a big infl ... read more...
Written : 2009-06-14
London without the Underground
So the London Underground is on strike, but use this as an advantage to see London. You would be surprised how easy London is to navigate on the surface. Some of the metro stations are so close it is actually faster to walk! Covent Garden and Leicester Square spring to mind. The London bus network i ... read more...
Written : 2009-06-11
How to get from Luton Airport to London
The joys of low cost airlines, they deposit you at airports not quite plugged into the transport network. So what you save on flight prices, can be lost on getting somehow interesting. Easyjet, Ryanair and Wizzair amongst others fly into Luton, located 50 miles north of London. For those early mor ... read more...
Written : 2009-06-08
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